Services
Infertility Services Provided by Thie MD
Dr. Thie offers all levels of infertility treatments from counseling regarding the use of low technical options thru the use of in-vitro fertilization, egg donation, embryo donation and gestational surrogacy. She has partnered with the Bethesda Fertility Center to offer the advanced reproductive technologies.
Infertility Diagnostic Testing
- Hormonal Testing - Blood or urine testing to look for hormone abnormalities
- Ovarian Reserve Testing - A test to determine the changes of pregnancy from the eggs remaining in a woman’s ovaries
- Pelvic Ultrasound - An ultrasound is performed in the office to view the uterus and ovaries. A sonohysterograghy is a test done in the office to evaluate the inside of the uterine cavity
- Hysterosalpingogram - An x-ray to examine the uterine cavity and to demonstrate that the fallopian tubes are open. This test is done at a hospital in radiology department by Dr. Thie
- Semen Analysis - This test is performed at a qualified sperm lab but must be ordered by Dr. Thie or your partner’s physician
- Laparoscopic surgery - This is an outpatient surgery for the diagnosis and treatment of certain fertility problems
Dr. Thie also evaluates patients for the causes and treatment of:
- Recurrent pregnancy loss (multiple miscarriages)
- Premature menopause (Menopause staring before age 40)
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (hormone imbalance with extra male hormones and insulin resistance)
Infertility Services (Basic)
- Ovulation Induction - This is the use of fertility medication to induce or improve the ovulation of eggs. This can be done with the use of oral medications such as clomiphene, tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors. Fertility medicines can also be given by injections. These are natural hormones and produce higher pregnancy rates than oral medications.
- Sperm preparation and intrauterine insemination
- Donor sperm inseminations
- Laparoscopic surgery for treatment of:
- endometriosis
- pelvic and tubal scarring
- ovarian cysts
- Hysteroscopic surgery for:
- uterine fibroids
- intrauterine scarring
- uterine septum
- Myomectomy – This is a surgery to remove fibroid tumors from the uterus.
- Microsurgical Tubal Ligation Reversal
Infertility Services (Advanced) - Assisted Reproductive Technologies
- In-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer – This is a procedure in which the woman takes fertility shots to produce multiple eggs which are then aspirated from the ovaries with a needle thru the back wall of the vagina under ultrasound guidance with the patient anesthetized. These eggs are fertilized with the sperm of the partner/donor and then the resulting embryos are cultured in an incubator for 3 to 6 days. The embryos, usually 2 embryos, are then transferred into the uterus thru the cervix into the uterus. Pictures courtesy of Dr. Pardeep Warikoo.
Four Cell embryo
Cell stage embryo
Blastocyst
Hatching blastocyst
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) – This is a procedure done in the laboratory by Dr. Warikoo, the embryologist at the Bethesda Fertility Center. He can microinject a single sperm into an egg to facilitate fertilization. This procedure is done when there is reason to believe that the sperm may not be able to penetrate the egg spontaneously, as in the case of low sperm numbers and quality. Picture courtesy of Dr. Pardeep Warikoo.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
- Egg donation – Women can use donor eggs to achieve a pregnancy if they have become menopausal before they have been able to conceive with their own eggs. Some women still have periods but have a low number of remaining eggs that have a lower chance of producing a pregnancy. We use a clomiphene citrate challenge test to help women determine what their pregnancy changes are with their own eggs. Bethesda Fertility Center has a donor egg program and we also work with egg donor agencies around the country.
- Embryo donation – This is a procedure where embryos are donated to the Bethesda Fertility Center by the centers’ patients who have achieved a pregnancy/pregnancies. These embryos are given to other patients who would like to achieve pregnancy. This is an anonymous donation from one patient to another. You must be a patient of ours to have access to the donor embryo program.
- Preimplantation genetic diagnosis – At this time it is possible to remove cells from early cell stage embryos and analyze the cells for defects that cause certain genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy. The embryos that do not have the genetic disease can then be transferred to the uterus to produce an unaffected pregnancy. Thie procedure is done with in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.
- Gestational Surrogacy – This procedure is offered to our patients that have no uterus or a uterus that will not support a pregnancy. Other patients have health risks that will not allow them to carry a pregnancy. A surrogate is found for the patient and eggs are obtained either from the patient or from a donor and fertilized with sperm from a partner or a donor and then the resulting embryos are place in the uterus of the surrogate for gestation.
- Egg Freezing – The Bethesda Fertility Center now has institutional review board approval for egg freezing. Eggs can be frozen for women who are about to undergo chemotherapy for cancer treatment or treatment for autoimmune diseases that might result in loss of adequate egg numbers. The egg freezing process is similar to the initial phases of in-vitro fertilization. Hormones are taken for two weeks and then the eggs are extracted and frozen. When the patient is ready to become pregnant, then the eggs will be thawed, fertilized and implanted in the patient’s uterus.
Services for Lesbian Patients
Lesbian patients and their partners have turned to Dr. Thie for many years for help in creating their families. We are proud to offer a supportive environment for lesbian couples. At this time, the donor sperm that is used is obtained from donor sperm banks. This sperm has been screened for sexually transmitted diseases and certain genetic defects. Dr. Thie will also work with patients who want to use a know donor. In this circumstance, the sperm from the know donor must be frozen for 6 months and tested for sexually transmitted diseases before insemination. Some lesbian patients find that simply inseminating sperm at the appropriate time fails to produce a pregnancy and they have to move on to other fertility treatment like fertility medicines and possibly IVF. Some lesbian patients need donor eggs or decide to use their partner’s eggs. Donor embryos are also an option for lesbians as well.
- Donor sperm insemination consultation
- Egg donation from one partner to partner recipient
Services for Gay patients
We service less gay men here in Cincinnati, who want to have children than on the east and west coasts, but there is a growing demand. We have the ability to provide egg donation and gestational surrogacy for gay men who would like to have a family.
- Sperm testing and freezing
- Egg donation
- Gestational Surrogacy
Ovarian Follicles
Early Pregnancy